Where bold voices meet

Forget staying in your lane. This year MEMO goes deep on design, sonic branding, travel, intentional living, and topics chosen to stretch how you think, no matter what you do.

Speaker Lineup

Shad (Shadrach Kabango)

Canadian rapper and broadcaster

  • Shad is a Canadian recording artist of Rwandan descent, raised in London, Ontario. He is known for blending humour and weighty themes, inspiring positivity while exploring a range of sounds over the course of his 20-year career.

    Shad won the Juno Award for Rap Recording Of The Year in 2011 and five of his albums have been shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize for Canadian Album Of The Year, the most shortlist nominations of any artist in the prize’s history. Shad has also served as a broadcaster, hosting CBC Radio's Q and Netflix’s Emmy and Peabody Award-winning series Hip-Hop Evolution, and has taught hip-hop-related courses at both Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Toronto.

Bonnie Wan

Global speaker, teacher, and bestselling author of The Life Brief

  • Bonnie Wan is a global speaker, teacher, and bestselling author of The Life Brief, a simple yet profound practice that helps people navigate life’s biggest and trickiest decisions with clarity, creativity and courage. The Life Brief applies the art and science of brand strategy to how we live and lead, helping people get clear, take meaningful action, and lead with greater intention and imagination. 

    As AdAge’s 2022 Chief Strategy Officer of the Year and 30-year Brand Strategy Leader turned Leadership & Life Strategist, Wan has led strategy for some of the most iconic and innovative companies in the world. She has been named an Advertising Icon, one of 100 Women to KNOW in America, and an Eames Curious 100. Today, she not only helps companies innovate from a place of purpose but also guides leaders to their peak performance. Bonnie has taught The Life Brief at Accenture, AirBnB, Apple, Cannes  Lions Festival of Creativity, Change.org, Chief, Google, SXSW, and World 50 Group as well as for Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop, and Jane Goodall’s Activating Hope Summit.

    Bonnie lives with her husband, four kids, mom, and Charlie the dog in Portland, OR.

Alex Center

Founder & Creative Director, CENTER

  • Alex Center is a Brooklyn-based designer and founder of CENTER, an award-winning branding studio known for building bold, culturally relevant brands. Before launching his own company, he spent nearly a decade at The Coca-Cola Company, where he helped shape global brands like vitaminwater and smartwater.

    At CENTER, he’s partnered with icons like Apple and New Balance, breakout startups like Kin Euphorics and Liquid Death, and helped create brands including United Sodas, Ayoh!, and Bero. He also teaches in SVA’s Masters in Branding program, serves on the board of the Art Directors Club, and cohosts the podcast Front & Center. In his shrinking personal time he enjoys watching reality television, sitting on a beach chair next to his wife Jackie and finding reasons to believe that this is the year for the Knicks or the Mets. 

Joelle Tomlinson

Journalist, speaker, emcee, and morning host of Country 105 in Calgary

  • Joelle Tomlinson is a journalist, speaker, emcee, and morning host of Country 105 in Calgary. Known for her warmth, curiosity, and ability to create meaningful conversations, she has spent the past 15 years building a trusted voice across Western Canada. Her career has taken her from reporting in Saskatoon to anchoring major market television,  and now connecting with listeners each weekday on one of Calgary’s most-listened-to morning radio shows. 

    On stage, Joelle brings the same thoughtful storytelling and authentic presence that have defined her broadcasting career. She has moderated conversations and hosted events across North America, guiding discussions with leaders, entrepreneurs, authors, athletes, and changemakers. Her ability to put people at ease, ask thoughtful questions, and create genuine connection allows her to transform interviews and panels into memorable experiences that resonate long after the event ends. 

    An avid traveller and runner, Joelle has explored different corners of the world, fueling a lifelong curiosity and passion for learning. Whether behind a microphone, on a stage, or in conversation with a community, she believes stories have the power to bring people together, challenge perspectives, and inspire action. Through honest dialogue and authentic connection, she strives to create experiences that leave audiences feeling informed, energized, and understood. 

Shez Mehra

Founder, The 194 Group | Partner, AudioBrand.io and Raina

  • Shez Mehra is a creative entrepreneur, producer, strategist, and DJ working at the intersection of sound, culture, technology, and brand experience. 
     
    His career began behind the decks, performing in cities around the world and helping shape the atmosphere of everything from luxury hospitality venues and private gatherings to major cultural, entertainment, and sporting events. Years spent reading rooms, understanding audiences, and creating emotional connection through sound formed the foundation of how he approaches business, creativity, and experience design today. As a producer and A&R, he has also collaborated with artists including Drake and The Clipse. 
     
    Today, as Founder of The 194 Group and Partner at Audio Branding and Raina, Shez helps organizations think more intentionally about the experiences they create and the role sound plays within them. His work spans sonic branding, hospitality, entertainment, experiential marketing, and cultural partnerships. 
     
    Over the past decade, he has helped brands including Google, Nike, Four Seasons, BMW, Mastercard, Shopify, Samsung, and Rolls-Royce use sound, story, and experience to create stronger connections with the people they serve. 

    Shez has shared his thinking at The Gathering, Future Festival, Effie Canada, the American Marketing Association, the ICA, and Miami Ad School. Based in the Greater Toronto Area, he remains fascinated by how sound influences memory, emotion, behavior, and the experiences people remember long after they leave the room. 

Natalie Preddie

Award-winning travel journalist, producer, writer, and on-air personality

  • Natalie Preddie is an award-winning travel journalist, producer, writer, and on-air personality whose work appears in leading publications including the Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, Travel + Leisure, The Washington Post, and National Geographic. She is also co-author of Dance Adventures (2020) and Lonely Planet: Epic Runs (2024). 

    She is the creator, producer, writer, and host of Beyond the Resort, a travel series exploring the Caribbean through culture, history, and community, and hosts Get Lost with Natalie Preddie. 

    Natalie’s work has earned industry recognition including 1st Place for Best International Travel Story (2023, SATW) and Female Travel Creator of the Year (2025, GreetHer). She is also a 2026 nominee for CaribBiz’s Top Caribbean Women to Watch and the Women of Excellence Award for global impact and entrepreneurship. In 2021, she won the Amazon Studios/ISO/Black Screen Office Pitch Program. 

    A familiar face across Canadian media, Natalie appears regularly on Breakfast Television, Global News, and Zoomer TV, and contributes to radio and podcasts on travel trends and industry insights. 

    An advocate for BIPOC representation, her work centers cultural and economic sustainability in travel. She is also an ambassador for Children Believe. 

    Most importantly, she is the mother of 3 little boys aged 5, 7 and 9. 

Explore last years speakers